Three top-12 foes fell on the road Saturday on a busy men's college basketball slate, as Rutgers and Michigan State took down contending Big Ten foes No. 11 Wisconsin and No. 10 Illinois, respectively, while Florida blitzed No. 12 Auburn at the Swamp and Kansas survives late against Baylor. Then Texas A&M blasted No. 6 Tennessee late.
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Here's a look back at the biggest action from Saturday:
Hot shooting sends Texas A&M flying past No. 6. Tennessee
Guard play and rebounding proved to be the story of the night for Texas A&M in a physical 85-69 win over No. 6 Tennessee.
Entering Saturday as a 30% three-point shooter, Wade Taylor IV came out of the gates on fire on Saturday afternoon. Taylor made five of the Aggies' eight first half threes. His running mate, Tyrece Radford, was equally excellent. The two combined for 27 of the team's 42 first half points and seven of Texas A&M's assists at the break.
Meanwhile, only Dalton Knecht scored more than five points in the half for Tennessee, as the Vols got out to an uncharacteristically slow start.
The second half was highlighted by Knecht, or lack thereof, as the Vols' leading scorer played just 10 of the final 20 minutes while Texas A&M continued to pour it on.
Andersson Garcia dominated the glass all night. The big man from the Dominican Republic picked up at least eight rebounds in each half, and nine total offensive rebounds to help Texas A&M slowly close out its second-ranked win of the season
After starting SEC play 1-3, the Aggies have won four out of their last five amid a push for the NCAA tournament.
Late rally sees Michigan State past No. 10 Illinois
As Marcus Damask drilled a 3-pointer straight out of the under-8 timeout to give No. 10 Illinois an eight-point lead, a 10th loss loomed over a sold out Breslin Center. But Michigan State's embattled senior class offered one more defiant surge, as Tyson Walker teamed up with A.J. Hoggard for an immediate 8-0 response before Malik Hall muscled in a pair of and-one baskets, fueling a 19-4 charge that led Michigan State to a much-needed 88-80 victory over the Illini.
Hall had an efficient 22 points on 7 for 9 shooting. A pair of high-powered offenses — Illinois and Michigan State finished a combined 48 percent from the floor — ensured neither team managed to extend their lead beyond a single possession before a Ty Rodgers jumper put the Illini up five midway through the first half. The visitors would lead by as much as eight in the first half, but nine points from Hall in just three minutes saw Michigan State take a 44-41 lead into the locker room.
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Illinois' Terrance Shannon Jr. led all scorers with 28 points drilled a 3 early in the second half to restore the Illini advantage, but timely playmaking from Walker and Hoggard, who finished with a career-high 23, helped keep MSU level with the Illini as the clock ticked inside 10 minutes. The Spartans would cede and overcome the aforementioned eight-point deficit, and after Hall's second and-one gave the Spartans a 78-76 lead, Illinois' Justin Harmon and Marcus Damask each committed turnovers that gave MSU a key six-point edge with less than a minute remaining.
No. 17 Kentucky suffers historic home defeat to Gonzaga
Gonzaga's joint-leading scorer Anton Watson assumed his usual place in the spotlight with a chance to knock off No. 17 Kentucky at the iconic Rupp Arena, converting a pair of layups in the final 90 seconds to lead the Zags over UK 89-85. Kentucky has now lost three straight in Lexington for the first time since 1976.
Two offensive-minded ball clubs provided the expected fireworks immediately on Saturday, as Justin Edwards and Nolan Hickman exchanged baskets inside the opening 35 seconds. Gonzaga built an early 13-6 lead into the first media timeout, and Hickman would stay hot with 11 points in as many minutes. The Bulldogs' go-to bucket getters Graham Ike and Watson stepped up to close the first half, capping off a 13-2 run — Watson completed a gritty and-one before finding Ike on a layup — that gave the Zags a 42-32 edge.
With Kentucky's deficit still hovering near double-figures a couple of minutes out of the locker room, Reed Sheppard took control of what would quickly become a dominant second half. The star freshman converted an and-one and drilled a jumper in quick succession, and a pair of Sheppard layups before the under-12 media timeout rounded out a 21-7 run for Kentucky and gave the Cats a three-point lead. Ike, who led all scorers with 23, quickly answered back with a hoop through contact, and the two offensive superstars traded baskets as the game continued neck-and-neck into the final minutes. Braden Huff gave the Zags crucial production off the bench with nine-straight Bulldog points, building a 76-72 lead, before Ike and Watson led the visitors through crunch time.
No. 4 Kansas escapes late rally from No. 13 Baylor
With about 10 feet of space on the right wing, Baylor's Jayden Nunn found himself with a chance to erase a once 12-point deficit and pull even with No. 4 Kansas in the dying seconds. Nunn's long-range effort clanged off the front rim, however, Ja'Kobe Walter's buzzer-beating effort fell short as well and the Jayhawks improve to 18-1 all time against BU at Allen Fieldhouse with a 64-61 win.
After a disappointing night across the Sunflower State midweek, Kansas looked relieved to be back in Lawrence. Hunter Dickinson, who once again led KU with 15 points, scored 11 of them in the opening ten minutes as Kansas surged to an emphatic 23-10 start. Paying no heed to the Phog, however, Baylor whittled down the deficit, as a five-point possession from Walter and timely buckets from Yves Missi saw the Bears trail by just two possession entering halftime.
Baylor battled closely out of the locker room, with a Jalen Bridges three trimming the deficit to just one early in the second half, but an untimely four-minute field goal drought saw Baylor's deficit balloon back to double-digits. The game's leading scorer with 21 points, Missi snapped the drought and took over down the stretch, scoring eight points in the final ten minutes. Kansas led by 11 with 6:35 remaining, as K.J. Adams continued his near-perfect afternoon with a jumper, but a pair of Missi free throws with a minute remaining brought the Bears back within three and gave BU two late chances at overtime.
Rutgers hands No. 11 Wisconsin fourth-straight loss
Rutgers' Jersey Mike's Arena has a new ranked victim: No. 11 Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights led for all but 10 seconds in a dominant performance, shooting 10 of 17 from 3 in a 78-56 win.
RU entered Saturday riding a wave of elite defense — Rutgers posted an adjusted defensive efficiency below 82 points/100 possessions in its last three outings — and that Steve Pikiell stinginess disrupted the Badgers early. Among the more turnover-averse ball clubs in America, Wisconsin committed 12 first-half giveaways that turned into a dozen points for the Scarlet Knights. Cliff Omoruyi excelled on both ends with 11 points and four blocks, Jeremiah Williams continued to give Rutgers a boost with 18 points and 7 assists, and a loud Rutgers crowd enjoyed a 37-28 halftime edge.
Uncharacteristic 3-point excellence from the Scarlet Knights in the second half turned the game into a laugher, shooting 7 for 10 from deep in the final 20 minutes. Noah Fernandes was particularly lethal, overcoming a recent rough patch to shoot a perfect 5 of 5 from deep. Williams also added a dozen after halftime to lead the Scarlet Knights as they recorded their largest-ever win over a ranked foe.
Florida rides fast start to upset over No. 12 Auburn
An alluring matchup between Florida's high-powered offense and No. 12 Auburn's stingy, third-ranked defense went the way of the Gators from nearly the opening tip, as Florida led by as much as 26 and cruised to a dominant 81-65 victory.
Florida's attack buried the visiting Tigers into a 9-0 hole after just 150 seconds of play thanks to Walter Clayton's triple and a pair of Zyon Pullin layups. The Gators maintained a seven-point lead into the first media timeout, where star sophomore Riley Kugel was introduced off the bench and quickly made a statement. Kugel notched a block on his second defensive possession before drilling a 3-pointer less than a minute later, and the Orlando native finished with a game-high 22 points. His insertion sparked another dominant, 13-3 Gator run, and Florida would lead by as much as 18 before taking a 42-26 lead into halftime.
Florida's offense evolved from good to great out of the locker room, managing to score on the first eight offensive possessions of the half as its lead rapidly ballooned. Clayton, one of three Gators over 19 points, knocked down a pair at the line that gave Florida a game-high 64-35 lead less than seven minutes into the second half. A Pullin jumper at the 9:40 mark actually served as Florida's last made field goal, but the Gators rode free-throw shooting from Pullin and Clayton to a comfortable victory.
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